LUXEMBOURG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viewers in the Republic of Benin are now receiving 15 new Free-to-Air
(FTA) channels from satellite, thanks to a new agreement the Government
of the Republic of Benin has signed with SES, the world’s leading
satellite-based solutions provider.

As part of the agreement a number of High Definition (HD) channels will
be broadcast over Benin, making it the first HD channels to be available
over Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) service across Africa. This
marks an important step forward in the digital switchover for the
country, which intends to switch off analogue service in 2020.

To meet the high service availability and nationwide coverage requested
by Benin, SES will be utilising powerful spot-beam capacity on SES-14.
This satellite with a high throughput payload will deliver video feeds
to the DTT infrastructure across Benin, with Direct-to-Home (DTH)
service filling in any gaps of DTT coverage. SES-14 was launched in
January 2018 and is located at 47.5 degrees West.

“SES has delivered a creative solution to us to ensure the introduction
of digital television with HD channels. This is an important milestone
as we move toward our deadline for the analogue switch-off,” said Darius
Quenum, Chairman of the DTT Steering Committee at Presidency of the
Republic of Benin. We are very pleased to be working with SES, which has
both the technical capabilities and required experience to support our
ambitious plans to set new standards for broadcasting.”

“We are excited to be working with the committee leading the digital
television transition of Benin to deliver such high-quality service to
the people of Benin,” said Clint Brown, Vice President, Sales & Market
Development for Africa, SES Video. “Launching HD service can be complex,
and we are dedicated to providing innovative solutions to respond to
market needs. Launching this DTT and DTH service is an important step
for Benin and we are in the best position to successfully deliver the
complete set of services required.”

SES is the world’s leading satellite operator with over 70 satellites in
two different orbits, Geostationary Orbit (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit
(MEO). It provides a diverse range of customers with global video
distribution and data connectivity services through two business units:
SES Video and SES Networks. SES Video reaches over 351 million TV homes,
through Direct-to-Home (DTH) platforms and cable, terrestrial, and IPTV
networks globally. The SES Video portfolio includes MX1, a leading media
service provider offering a full suite of innovative services for both
linear and digital distribution, and the ASTRA satellite system, which
has the largest DTH television reach in Europe. SES Networks provides
global managed data services, connecting people in a variety of sectors
including telecommunications, maritime, aeronautical, and energy, as
well as governments and institutions across the world. The SES Networks
portfolio includes GovSat, a 50/50 public-private partnership between
SES and the Luxembourg government, and O3b, the only non-geostationary
system delivering fibre-like broadband services today. Further
information is available at: www.ses.com